Video encoding or transcoding frequently is used to reduce the amount of video data to be stored or transmitted or to convert a video signal from one format to another. Effective transcoding often relies on the accurate detection of features present in the video content, such as blank screens, scene changes, black borders, and the like. Conventional techniques for identifying these features, such as by detecting a change in sound level for identifying a scene change or by determining the number of pixels having a certain color for identifying a black border, often are inefficient or ineffective at identifying the corresponding feature.